


i’m so tired of pretending i’m alive

by WhenIWasAYoungBoy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Body Horror, F/F, F/M, Gore, Hanahaki AU, Hanahaki Disease, Requited Love, Unrequited Love, i really love this concept, if people coughing up flowers counts as gore?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 20:19:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15565644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenIWasAYoungBoy/pseuds/WhenIWasAYoungBoy
Summary: Hanahaki - a disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love.





	i’m so tired of pretending i’m alive

Pidge stares at the petal in her hand, not bothering to wipe away the tears gathering in her eyes. It’s from a lily this time. It’s white and soft, stained red with her blood.

She puts it with the others.

Pidge lets out a small, sad sound - a harsh mockery of a laugh. This is her own fault, she reminds herself. She couldn’t - can’t - muster up the courage to even talk to the guy she has a crush on and now she’s stuck in this position, coughing up bloody flower petals. She can almost feel them sometimes, feel them growing in her body, her lungs, begging to be let out.

She sighs, glancing at the ever-growing pile of petals on the countertop. It’s barely been a week and she already has enough to make Hunk a gruesome, bloody bouquet.

 

* * *

 

She hides it well enough. Mutters of a cold, a sore throat, throw most people off. But not Shay. Lovely, kind Shay. She notices. She always notices. She notices as Pidge gets paler and paler, how handkerchiefs hastily stuffed in pockets are always stained with blood. And so she presses and pries. Shay badgers her until she cracks. But even Pidge can tell she’s shocked when Hunk’s name comes barrelling out of her mouth.

And then Pidge starts to cough.

She sees the realisation dawn in Shay’s warm eyes when Pidge slowly holds up the blood-soaked daffodil petal. At Shay’s stunned, horrified expression, she flushes. And as Shay’s eyes fill with tears, so do hers. Pidge’s guilty, honey-gold eyes gaze up into her scared, almond eyes, breaking the taller girl out of her daze.

Pidge barely has time to blink before Shay is enveloping her into a warm hug and swearing to do whatever it takes to help her.

 

* * *

 

And Shay is with her through it all, hyping her up to talk to Hunk, to get his number, to set up a one-on-one meeting ( _a date!_ Shay giggles. _Call it a date._ ). And she always picks up the petals ( _which are less and less frequent now_ ), always putting them somewhere safe.

And Pidge is so, so grateful (something she makes sure to tell her before heading out). Shay only smiles, waving off her thanks with a small, soft smile.

 

* * *

 

Shay gazes through the café window sadly, illuminated by the streetlight she propped her bike against. She watches as Hunk and Pidge talk animatedly on the other side of the glass, soft blushes on both of their cheeks. She had come along for support, in case Pidge needed a quick getaway, but now she can see she’s not needed.

With one last long, unreadable look at the couple she turns, swinging herself onto her motorbike. As she turns, she coughs. Surprise and heartbreak flit across her expression as she stares at her hand, before settling on a quick, sad look of resignation. Shay clears her throat before letting her face go blank. She slowly closes her eyes and sighs before driving away, leaving a single, blood-spotted petal laying on the ground. 

**Author's Note:**

> Oh dear. 
> 
> (Honestly though, I do love this concept and I want to write more)
> 
>  [tumblr](http://thedoomedprophet.tumblr.com/)  
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/doomedprophett/)  
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